Bulgarians’ outlook on the economic and financial crisis is gloomier than the average in the European Union, going by the findings of a survey by EU statistical office Eurostat released on July 24 2009.

While in the EU as a whole, seven per cent of people have no confidence about having a job in two years’ time, in Bulgaria the figure is 18 per cent.

Separate questions found that Bulgarians are also more pessimistic than the EU average in worrying about losing their jobs, or that their spouses will lose their jobs.

The Eurostat survey found that 50 per cent of Bulgarians believed that the crisis had not yet peaked and, in the words of the survey, "the worst is yet to come".

The survey shows that 61 per cent of Europeans think further impacts of the economic crisis on jobs are to be expected.

A third of those in work in the EU are 'very concerned' that they may lose their jobs in the crisis, however 72 per cent across the bloc feel that the EU has a positive impact in creating new job opportunities and fighting unemployment, and a third are aware of the European Social Fund – the EU's main tool for investing in workers and keeping them in work.

"I am not surprised by the outcome of this survey. Understandably Europeans are concerned about the impact of the crisis on their jobs and families," said Vladimír Špidla, Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities.
 
He said: "That's why action has been taken at a European level since the very beginning of the crisis to limit its impact on jobs.
 
"We have recently introduced microcredits for people who want to start their own business, proposed 100 per cent funding of ESF for the next two years to allow for continuous training of workers, and urged Member States to make five million apprenticeships available for young people who leave school.

"These measures will help keep Europeans in jobs and help them back into jobs if they lose theirs," Špidla said.

In terms of the EU's role in employment, 52 per cent of Europeans consider it to be positive, and this figure rises considerably when addressing specific issues.
 
Seventy-eight per cent think the EU has a positive role in improving access to education and training, 76 per cent in promoting gender equality, 73 per cent on combating other forms of discrimination and 72 per cent on creating job opportunities and fighting unemployment.

According to the survey results, about 3.5 per cent of working Europeans have personally experienced job losses due to the economic crisis.
 
Twenty-four per cent know a colleague who has lost their job and 36 per cent know someone from among their friends or family who has been affected.
 
Hardest hit are Latvia, Lithuania, Spain and Ireland, while people in Luxembourg, Greece and the Netherlands have experienced comparatively fewer job losses.

A third of Europeans in work (32 per cent) are 'very concerned' that they may lose their jobs in the future, with more people worried about their partner (38 per cent) or children (47 per cent) losing their jobs.
 
The level of concern is strongly linked to the reported incidence of job losses; citizens of those countries which have experienced the most job losses are also most concerned about further job cuts.

The concern about job losses is explained and compounded by the fact that at least six out of 10 Europeans feel that the worst of the economic crisis is yet to come and only 28 per cent think it has reached its peak, with the highest levels in the Baltic countries (82 per cent in Latvia, 76 per cent in Estonia and 74 per cent in Lithuania think the worst impact is still to be felt).
 
In countries which have implemented comprehensive flexicurity approaches, the outlook is more confident – 45 per cent of Swedes and 36 per cent of Danes think that the peak of the crisis is now in the past.

Should they need to find a new job, most respondents would opt for the same type of job in the same location, or alternatively widen their search to a different location, showing more openness to moving to a new area than moving to a new type of job.
 
About one in four of those Europeans not working say they will take up any job; a result that has not changed significantly since 2006.
 
Most Europeans believe that, in these times, professional experience and qualifications are the two most important aspects in finding a new job easily, followed by adaptability.

Overall, a third of Europeans (33 per cent) are aware of the European Social Fund (ESF), the EU's main tool to support those who may lose their jobs as a result of the crisis.
 
The Fund is best known in Slovakia (59 per cent), Portugal (58 per cent) and Spain (53 per cent) and least known in Denmark (17 per cent). A third of those asked felt the ESF’s budget allocation of about 10 per cent of the EU budget is too little and only five per cent said it was too much.